Clinical Manifestations of Subjects with Long COVID and Their Associations with Drug Use: The BioICOPER Study

<b>Background/Objectives</b>: Long COVID (LC) is associated with more than 200 symptoms. This study aimed to evaluate the correlation between symptoms clusters and pharmacological treatment in patients with LC and to explore differences by sex. <b>Methods</b>: We conducted a cross-sectional descriptive study including 304 participants diagnosed with LC according to the World Health Organization criteria. Symptoms during the acute phase, at the time of diagnosis of LC, and those persisting across both phases were collected by anamnesis. Symptoms were grouped into six clusters: systemic, neurocognitive, respiratory/cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, neurological/neuromuscular, and psychological/psychiatric. Drug use was assessed through a questionnaire verified by the medical records, including the consumption of cardiovascular drugs, antidepressants/anxiolytics, and anti-inflammatory/analgesics. <b>Results</b>: Patients reported a mean of 5.23 ± 1.10 symptoms in the acute phase, 4.20 ± 1.70 at LC diagnosis, and 3.83 ± 1.80 persisting across both phases. The most consumed pharmacological group was cardiovascular drugs (43.3%), followed by antidepressants/anxiolytics (34.8%). Psychotropic drugs and anti-inflammatory/analgesic drugs showed a positive association with all symptomatic groups (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Cardiovascular drugs showed a positive association with cardiorespiratory (β = 0.19, <i>p</i> < 0.05), neuromuscular (β = 0.11, <i>p</i> < 0.05), and psychological (β = 0.14, <i>p</i> < 0.05) symptoms. <b>Conclusions</b>: Psychotropic and anti-inflammatory/analgesic drugs were positively associated with all symptom clusters, while cardiovascular drugs were associated only with cardiorespiratory, neuromuscular, and psychological symptoms, highlighting the relevance of better characterization of treatment patterns in this population.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Biomedicines
Published
2026-01-15
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines14010192
Primary Topic
Long-Term Effects of COVID-19
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Clinical Manifestations of Subjects with Long COVID and Their Associations with Drug Use: The BioICOPER Study

Cristina Lugones‐Sánchez, Elena Navarro-Matías, Nuria Suárez-Moreno, Rodriguez-Sanchez Emiliano et al.
Biomedicines
Long-Term Effects of COVID-19
article

Clinical Manifestations of Subjects with Long COVID and Their Associations with Drug Use: The BioICOPER Study

Cristina Lugones‐Sánchez, Elena Navarro-Matías, Nuria Suárez-Moreno, Rodriguez-Sanchez Emiliano, Gomez-Sanchez Leticia, Alicia Navarro-Cáceres, Silvia Arroyo-Romero, Susana González-Sánchez, Andrea Domínguez-Martín, Marta Gomez-Sanchez, Manuel A. Gomez-Marcos
article en

Abstract

<b>Background/Objectives</b>: Long COVID (LC) is associated with more than 200 symptoms. This study aimed to evaluate the correlation between symptoms clusters and pharmacological treatment in patients with LC and to explore differences by sex. <b>Methods</b>: We conducted a cross-sectional descriptive study including 304 participants diagnosed with LC according to the World Health Organization criteria. Symptoms during the acute phase, at the time of diagnosis of LC, and those persisting across both phases were collected by anamnesis. Symptoms were grouped into six clusters: systemic, neurocognitive, respiratory/cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, neurological/neuromuscular, and psychological/psychiatric. Drug use was assessed through a questionnaire verified by the medical records, including the consumption of cardiovascular drugs, antidepressants/anxiolytics, and anti-inflammatory/analgesics. <b>Results</b>: Patients reported a mean of 5.23 ± 1.10 symptoms in the acute phase, 4.20 ± 1.70 at LC diagnosis, and 3.83 ± 1.80 persisting across both phases. The most consumed pharmacological group was cardiovascular drugs (43.3%), followed by antidepressants/anxiolytics (34.8%). Psychotropic drugs and anti-inflammatory/analgesic drugs showed a positive association with all symptomatic groups (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Cardiovascular drugs showed a positive association with cardiorespiratory (β = 0.19, <i>p</i> < 0.05), neuromuscular (β = 0.11, <i>p</i> < 0.05), and psychological (β = 0.14, <i>p</i> < 0.05) symptoms. <b>Conclusions</b>: Psychotropic and anti-inflammatory/analgesic drugs were positively associated with all symptom clusters, while cardiovascular drugs were associated only with cardiorespiratory, neuromuscular, and psychological symptoms, highlighting the relevance of better characterization of treatment patterns in this population.

BiomedicinesVol. 14(1)
Universidad de Salamanca (ES), Hospital Universitario La Paz (ES), Instituto de Estudios de Ciencias de la Salud de Castilla y León (ES), Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital (ES), Red de Investigación en Actividades Preventivas y Promoción de la Salud (ES), Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Salamanca (ES)
European Commission, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Instituto de Salud Carlos III
Good health and well-being
Openalex Percentile: Top 87%
Long-Term Effects of COVID-19
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.